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Whimsical works
Habitat for Humanity breaks ground on six Hinesburg homes
From hobbit holes to giant sculptures, artist turns imagination to art
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August 13, 2026
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Candidates show their spending ahead of primary election Chittenden Southeast Senate
BRIANA BRADY AND LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITERS
PHOTO BY SOPHIA BALUNEK
Eli Enman, one of the owners of Sleepy Hollow Inn Ski and Bike Center, next to some of the center’s regular snow making machines.
Sleepy Hollow begins plans to farm snow BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
Snow farming is not, despite how it may sound, the practice of planting snowflakes in fall and growing blizzards by March. What Eli Enman — one of the owners of Sleepy Hollow Inn Ski and Bike Center, which straddles the Hinesburg-Huntington town line — has in mind involves storing snow made during the season’s coldest days through the warm summer months. This will help build out the center’s training
capacity and snow cover in early winter. “We’ll have access to that snow November and early December when it’s difficult to make, especially due to global warming. Like, the outlook isn’t good. We’ve already raised up five degrees Fahrenheit in the last 40 to 45 years,” Enman said, standing on the grassy trails at the center as campers biked by. Enman’s plans, while preliminary, include building a 95-foot by 240-foot storage facility up the hill from the inn, among the trails.
The hope, Enman said, is to have a pile of snow in the building about 15 feet deep, using the common method of snow making, which flash freezes water as it’s sprayed — usually when the temperature gets below 28 degrees for a few days. The garage doors will close and then insulation and heat pumps will help keep the snow frozen as spring and summer temperatures rise. Eventually, after the first See SLEEPY HOLLOW on page 10
As newcomers try to break into political office, contributions for their campaigns — and their incumbent opponents’ coffers — have poured in from both in-state and out-of-state donors, according to the most recent campaign finance disclosures filed with the Vermont Secretary of State’s office. In the Democratic primary for governor, as of Aug. 1, both candidates had raised hundreds of thousands of dollars — Amanda Janoo’s contributions topped $300,000 and Aly Richard’s war chest reached more than $450,000. In the nearby Chittenden Central Senate race, Nikhil Goyal has raised more than $150,000, almost $100,000 more than the other newcomer in the race, Elaine Haney. Similarly, the Chittenden state’s attorney Democratic primary saw one candidate, Bram Kranichfeld, rake in more than $150,000. Closer to home, spending has been more modest. Here’s a look at what local candidates’ were raising and spending over the summer. State law will require candidates to disclose their campaigns’ financial activity four more times before the Nov. 3 election, so money will continue to matter.
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Contested races often result in more fundraising and spending — candidates need to spend more on things like lawn signs or advertising to gain visibility in comparison to other candidates. The primary election race was competitive for Democrats seekFor local ing one of the three primary Chittenden election Southeast results, see senate seats, pages 2-3. representing South Burlington, Shelburne, Charlotte, Hinesburg, Williston, Jericho, Underhill, Richmond, Bolton, St. George and a small portion of Burlington. Two new candidates — Joanna Grossman, D-Burlington, and Elizabeth Hunt, D-Charlotte — challenged incumbents Kesha Ram Hinsdale, D-Shelburne, Ginny Lyons D-Williston, and Thomas Chittenden, D-South Burlington. However, the spending among the candidates varied widely. Without the benefit of leftover funds from previous campaigns, the two newcomers raised the most See CAMPAIGN on page 11 258 Market Street & Shelburne Road, S. Burlington Maple Tree Place, Williston
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